Hi everyone! My name is Samantha, and I am a third-year English Literature Major, unsurprisingly. I’ve moved around quite a bit in BC (from Pemberton to Richmond!), but have been residing in Vancouver for the past few years. I’ve always had a passion for reading, and near the end of high school, I came to appreciate Gothic Literature (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Hyde, etc.) Another one of my hobbies is writing short fiction stories. I was initially planning on majoring in Creative Writing, but I decided to pursue my love for the English language further to continue to develop and improve my writing! I have taken a few online courses before, but the layout and assignments are unique to my previous classes, which is quite refreshing.
English 372, Canadian Literature, really appealed to me, and I am glad I ended up taking this class. The course discusses Indigenous traditions of literature while maintaining the importance and impact of stories and storytelling that shape our ideas about Canada. For the majority of my childhood, I grew up in Squamish and attended Howe Sound Secondary. The Squamish Nation is a large part of the community in Squamish and growing up a part of their culture changed my perspective of Canada, as I’m sure most of us experienced when learning about Canada’s history in elementary and high school. My Aunt-in-law is a teacher at the Squamish Nation and has made a significant impact in educating students from grades 8-12 in the language and culture of the Squamish Nation. I hope to further my knowledge of indigenous traditions and gain new insights I may not have previously had, and I can’t wait to dive into the course material!
I am currently reading through all the introductory posts and am looking forward to becoming better acquainted with you all as the semester progresses 🙂
Works Cited:
“Our Culture.” Squamish Nation, 2013, https://www.squamish.net/about-us/our-culture/. Accessed 12 Jan. 2020.
Macpherson, Maggie. “Thousands gather to celebrate Indigenous culture at Squamish Nation Youth Powwow.” CBC News, July 17, 2019, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/photos-squamish-nation-youth-powwow-1.5212514. Accessed 12 Jan. 2020.